“Choose Life” Irish Bishop Issues Pastoral Letter on Abortion Referendum

Last updated on: May 9, 2018 at 11:40 am by Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC

“Choose Life” Irish Bishop Issues Pastoral Letter on Abortion Referendum 2018-05-09T11:40:39-04:00 Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Fifth Annual All-Ireland Rally For Life

Stock Image from the Fifth Annual All-Ireland Rally For Life (CC BY-SA 2.0 https://www.flickr.com/photos/infomatique/5900061555)

Ireland has remained one of the few highly developed countries to outlaw all abortion. Now the protection for the unborn – known as the 8th amendment – is up for a referendum on May 25th. In preparation, Bishop Fintan Monahan has issued a pastoral letter.

Basic Principles

He begins by noting the Christian understanding of life.

Christians believe that all life is sacred and is a gift from God. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church says ‘The human body shares in the dignity of “the image of God”: it is a human body precisely because it is animated by a spiritual soul, and it is the whole human person that is intended to become, in the body of Christ, a temple of the Spirit.’ To destroy the body is to deny the human soul its right to full development.

Modern medicine and science has done so much to help us appreciate the wonder of human life from the moment of conception. Moments that remain forever embedded in the hearts of parents are when they first see a scan of their unborn child and marvel at the wonder of new life or when the tiny fingers of their new-born first cling onto their own fingers.

The Irish Reality

Having laid the groundwork, he notes the difference between what Ireland has and what abortion is.

The medical care offered to both mothers and babies in Ireland is among the best in the world in terms of safety and excellence. The Irish constitution as it stands offers protection and care in equal measure to both women and unborn babies. Why would we want to alter this carefully worked balance to the detriment of either mother or baby?

Then he goes on to describe the reality of abortion.

We must clearly state what abortion is – it is the direct killing of an innocent human being. This is simply not right. Children with disabilities or genetic disorders are disproportionately affected. In Britain 9 out 10 babies who have been diagnosed in the womb with Down Syndrome are aborted.

Read the rest on the Irish Bishops’ website.

We need to keep Ireland in our prayers at this crucial moment. And if you have some money to donate to a pro-life cause, helping Irish pro-life groups fight this referendum would be a worthy cause.

UPDATE: I posted this on Facebook and thus exposed Facebook’s bias. Facebook suggested 3 charities for it, and all of them directly fund abortions, and not one pro-life option. (You can find this image to share on Facebook and Twitter.)

Previous Post

May 8, 2018

The #1 Secret to Reverse Parish Closings

Next Post

May 11, 2018 69% of Russian Orthodox Accept "And the Son" - A Step Towards Unity?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Autism Bioethics Book Review Business and Economics Catholic Social Teaching Culture Diocesan Life Disability Discipleship Euthanasia Family Life Genetics Global Politics History Immigration Inspiration Interview Liturgy Moral Theology My Life News Analysis Original Articles Prayer Privacy Pro-Life Science Sexual orientation or identity Social Media Sports Technology Theology Uncategorized US Politics Vatican

Select a Month March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz